Stray Puppies
by Illilex0DarkFire
Summary: Based on something I read on the KH wiki. According to Saix, Isa loved dogs. Add in the fact that Lea's previous weapons were Frisbees. Throw in some dogs. A short story that happens to tie into my other fiction, Nobodies' Best Friend.


Stray Puppies

Pale yellow moonbeams shone through the glass wall of the Grey Area, and covered everything in a calming aura. A lone figure sighed as he stood under the heart-shaped moon, soaking up the moonlight. He allowed himself the luxury of leaning against the glass behind him.  
He had given out all of the missions, save one. His lip twitched and if one looked close enough they could see the single fang that was revealed in a lapse of the Luna Diviner's control. Really though, this was not uncommon. Little number IX was always late for his missions; this was nothing new. This absence gave him time to contemplate his past. Looking up at the black expanse behind him, he recalled a time in his childhood, when he—no, his Somebody, Isa—had snuck out with Lea to watch the meteor shower that night. The two boys laid underneath the biggest tree in the town's garden gazing up at the stars through the branches.

"Hey Isa?" An eight-year-old Lea asked, looking up at the sky.

"Hm?"Isa replied, looking over at the red head. Lea had a confused frown on his face, like when their teacher asked him to solve difficult math questions.

"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?"

"Well, every star up there is another world. The light is their hearts, shining down on us like a million lanterns. At least, that's what the adults say."Isa answered.

Lea looked puzzled, "What? I don't get it."

"I'm sure you will someday," Isa looked back to the sky.

Lea wasn't having it, "I want to know now!" he cried, jumping up and staring down at Isa.

"You're too young to know now!"Isa replied, sighing at Lea's stubbornness.

 _And people thought that we were related._ Saïx thought, shaking his head.

A small, rough sigh pulled the Diviner out of his reverie. He looked over and stared at the source of the sound, the young female German Shepherd, Alex. The Organization had found her lying unconscious in the Dark City a few years back. She was a sweet thing, with her ears not yet standing up straight and her paws a bit too big for her body. Of course Saïx never admitted this to anyone.

Alex was stretched out on the couch facing away from the glass windows, eyes half-lidded in boredom. She sensed the eyes of No. VII piercing through the back of the couch on which she sat, causing her to twitch slightly. She heaved a sigh. _All I want is to play Isa._ Alex got up and stretched. She spread her front legs out and kept her rear in the air and yawned. Then she walked toward the blue-haired man and sat down in front of him. There was no response. _I can play this waiting game for as long as it takes._ She tilted her head to the side so that her ears flopped around. Saïx still didn't recognize that she was there. _Okay, I was wrong. Play with me. Play please? I am so bored._ Alex whined. Saïx sighed and opened one eye to stare down at the puppy. He sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to play with her now. _God you are such an asshole._ When she realized that her blue-haired "brother" wasn't going to play with her anytime soon, she got up and started sniffing around the couches. She was well aware of Saïx's golden eyes on her, looking for signs of suspicious behavior. But Alex had something else in mind. _Hmm, dust and old books, no. Cherry blossoms, definitely no. Static electricity, nope. Aha!_ She had caught onto the scent of the fiery red-head Axel, and trotted down the hall, her tail wagging as she walked.

Alex traveled down the pristine white hall tracking the scent of the pyro. She reached the panel that concealed the entrance to the Grey Area, which slowly slid up into the ceiling when it sensed her presence. Trotting through, she stepped onto the upper floor of the Hall of Empty Melodies. Striding forward, she approached the railing that ran along the edge of the area. She jumped up, resting her front paws on the barrier. She looked out at the huge white Nobody sigil across the way. With its basic upside-down heart shape, the sigil was topped with a spiked cross. Huge windows gave her a great view of Kingdom Hearts, not yet complete but still bright enough to soak her fur in its rays. As she looked up at it, she could only mourn. _How many lives have been ruined because of this man?_ Alex thought thinking of Xemnas and his original persona. Master Xehanort. A man she despised, but couldn't help but be curious about. It didn't help that his young self was really hot either. _When the bad guys are ugly, no one bats an eye at their demise. But when they're hot, all of the sudden people are screaming "Oh, there must be a motive, they had to have a reason." Why did they have to make him hot anyway? It pisses me off._ Alex shook her head and put her front feet back on the ground. She turned left and started walking toward Proof of Existence; where Axel's scent led. When she reached the entrance to Proof of Existence, she stopped and looked back at the Dusks patrolling the area. She gave a short yap of laughter as she remembered when she first met them.

It was her first week at the castle. Alex followed Vexen as he made his way toward Where Nothing Gathers. The scientist was carrying research notes about the K-9 behind him and he was taking them to Xemnas to report on the case at hand. He looked over his shoulder at the puppy behind him who was sniffing everything she could get at. He sneered and tugged on the twine he had tied around her neck; he was not going to be late because of this thing. She yelped and moved faster, but kept some distance between herself and the Chilly Academic. She did not want to make him more irritated, but didn't want to get too close to the man that scared her. _I need to get this mongrel used to traveling in Dark Corridors. This hold up is ridiculous. Every time I leave I have to take her with me because she somehow gets out of her cage and destroys my lab._ Vexen sneered. _Then the Superior punishes me for being late, and it's all because of some pup who can't learn!_ Vexen's grip on the rope subconsciously tightened.

As the duo made their way through Nothing's Call, Alex started to get more adventuresome. Sniffing the white floor, she picked up a new scent. Following it, she was unaware that she had passed Vexen until the leash pulled taught on her neck. Vexen now held the Sheppard in, intent on making her behave. This battle continued on until they arrived at the next room.

As they walked into the massive elevator—Crooked Ascension—Alex looked up to find some weird white contortionist-like creatures on the elevator already. Alex barked excitedly and launched herself forward, forgetting about the leash. Her sudden energy burst took Vexen by surprise. The leash slipped from his grasp and he watched, startled and overwhelmingly irritated, as the puppy ran after the lesser non-existent beings. Like antelope spotting a cheetah, the Dusks convulsed and started to contort, leaping and wiggling horizontally away from the approaching animal. Just before Alex could grab onto one of their feet, the Dusks disappeared in a ball of grey and white. Alex whined, mourning the loss of a play thing. Vexen, had had enough of the ball of furry trouble. He bent down and grabbed the leash, giving a hard yank on it, determined to show her that he was the alpha of the pair.

 _That was fun._ Alex quickly returned to her original route. She strode into the stale air of Existence. The pup shuddered; the smell of the room was as empty as their bodies.

 _It feels like a graveyard_. The thought made her sad, that they would mark graves for themselves while still alive. _But I guess they're not really "alive."_ Shaking her head, she set off for the blue swirling portal marked with a Roman numeral eight along with the spiked circle weapons that the occupant wielded.

 _VI, VII, VIII, IX, oh wait! I passed it. Here we are._ Alex thought as she stepped through.

For a moment, her vision was obscured in a blue haze. But then it fell away to reveal the room Axel spent most of his spare time in. Unlike most of the others who had huge rooms with giant windows or outdoor spaces, Axel's Proof of Existence was not so. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was like a second bedroom, but lacked the window of his real one. All over the walls there were pictures of a town. Some focused on fountains and flowers, while some portrayed buildings and even a Moogle shop. One featured a main square with lots of water features and flowers. In the distance was a huge castle behind a locked gate. _Radiant Garden._ Alex thought as she looked over the drawings. Sure they weren't up to Naminé's standards, but there was a certain effort that was apparent in all of the drawings.

As Alex walked by a picture of a crane and a renovation site, she failed to notice where she was walking. The sound of something scattering caused her to look down at what she had knocked over. A pile of half burned Sea-salt Ice Cream sticks and paper spread out before her. There was something weird about the paper though. It looked like someone had tried to burn it, but then stopped. _Why would Axel try to burn something he worked so hard on?_ Alex bent down and grabbed the scorched paper and freed it from the pile of sticks. Using her paws, she spread the paper out and smoothed it over. What she saw pulled at her heartstrings. It was a drawing of two kids. One had red hair and a yellow scarf, and the other had blue hair and a blue jacket with a yellow crescent moon on the left breast. They appeared to be eating sea salt ice cream together by Uncle Scrooge's shop. _That's why he tried to burn it. He and Saïx haven't been getting along too well now that Axel's hanging out with Roxas and Xion. I wonder why he didn't burn it all the way._ The answer was obvious. _He feels guilty. He can't let go._

Alex sighed and laid down on the bed. It was hard and she would normally protest, but the floor wasn't any better and she wasn't in the mood to do much anymore. Ever since she came to the Kingdom Hearts universe, she hadn't taken any of her medication. Her depression pills, her diabetes pills, her birth control, her thyroid medication, none of it was here. So it took a lot longer than normal for her to get out of one of her funks. This was one of those funks. She always liked Axel, but recently she'd been gravitating toward Saïx because of the similarities between them. She hated to see the two friends doing this to each other.

Soon her eyelids decided to close on their own. As she drifted in the emptiness of her mind, she heard voices. Loud voices shouting in a panic. Then she heard the frenzied footsteps of a fearful crowd. Alex looked around. She couldn't see anything. Nothing but the black abyss that swallowed everything. She couldn't even see her body. The only reassurance she had was the fact that she could still feel her body moving.

 _What is happening?_ Alex wondered, starting to panic. The footsteps and yelling grew closer and the ground started to shake. But if there was anything lurking in the darkness, it gave no sign that it existed. Above the yelling and screaming, Alex heard a faint hissing sound. The hissing was much like a snake, but the squelching sound that accompanied it was like no snake Alex had ever heard.

All of the sudden Alex's vision returned to her. Looking around, she saw Lea and Isa in a Radiant Garden that was covered in darkness. The Heartless ran amok in the city, tearing people's hearts out and consuming them. Some heartless didn't even wait to rip victim's hearts from their chests. They just launched themselves at the person's heart and went right through the chest. Alex ran for her life, dodging confused heartless and trying to avoid the panicked people.  
"Alex! Alex, where are you?!" She heard over the screams of the fallen. The voice sounded familiar, but why would it be calling her?

Suddenly a storm of Neoshadows appeared around her. All at once they hurled themselves at her. Alex barely heard an agonized "No!" before she was swallowed by the darkness.

Alex awoke with a start. Looking around, she was unfamiliar with her surroundings until she saw the paper of the two friends. She sighed and got up, leaping off the bed and stretching. Then she decided to sniff out a toy. Catching an unfamiliar scent, she followed it to the closet where coloring supplies lined the shelves of the small room. Sniffing around, she caught the smell again. Cinnamon. Alex tilted her head to the side and attempted to sniff out the cause of the different smell. She caught a glimpse of yellow on the first shelf and walked over to it. She sniffed, it was definitely the source of the smell. But there was something else too. She pulled the yellow cloth off the shelf and revealed two identical disks, both with grinning flames on the face. _These are Lea's._ Alex looked at the cloth again. _So this must be his scarf!_ Excited, Alex nudged the yellow scarf and tried to find the neck hole. After she laid it out, she tried to get it on with her nose, but ended up having to use her paws like hands to get it over her ears. _Wow, it fits. Oh, wait, it's on backwards._ Alex decided that it worked better if the long scarf was draped over her back, that way she didn't have to trip over it. And she didn't have to take forever trying to get it on the right way. But looking at the Frisbees and the scarf, a thought struck her. _Why would he keep such painful reminders of his past? He tried to burn the paper of him and Isa. Is this his way of keeping his past alive, even when Isa no longer wants to?_

Before she could think about the reasons behind Axel keeping his old toys, she felt the familiar darkness creeping over her mind, dulling out her shock and other human emotions. _Oh shit, dog mode._ Knowing that it was better to give in rather than fight it, Alex let the darkness descend, drowning out everything but her base instincts. As she looked down at the Frisbees again, excitement rose within her as the instinct to play took hold.

 _Toy, toy, TOY!_ Alex's tail started wagging furiously. She knelt down and grabbed one of the disks in her mouth, and shook her head from side to side. Lying down, she started gnawing on one of its corners, which left tooth marks on the Frisbee and a pool of slobber growing on a stack of blank paper. She wondered if she could chew on both of them at once. Dropping the disk, she got the other one and laid it beside its twin. Then she tried to get her mouth around both at once. Both Frisbees fell out of her mouth. She tried again with the same results. Thinking about how much her friends would love to have something to play with, Alex brought the Frisbees out of Axel's closet, intent on sharing them with her pack mates.

 _Play with Lola!._ Alex stacked the throwing disks on top of one another and trotted out of Axel's room, tail swaying as she smelled out her dog companion. It was hard trying to smell the ground when two big disks kept getting in the way, but Alex was determined. As she came back out into Existence, she couldn't help but notice that Lea's scarf kept her warm from the usual chill that clung to the castle. Sniffing out the right scent took some time as well. Lola had not gone through the room for a while, and since then many had walked the halls, covering up her scent with their own. But Alex was not going to give up. She wanted to play and playing with pack mates was as good as playing with a human. Sniffing the air, Alex was surprised to find that her pack mate's scent went up to the Alter of Naught rather than back toward the Hall of Empty Melodies. In any case, she followed the scent and exited into the small walkway that would soon be the place where Kairi encountered Riku in Ansem's form. Although Alex wasn't thinking about them. After she passed the Berserkers, Dancers, and Samurais that were patrolling the area, she came upon the area she hated above all but Vexen's laboratory: Ruin and Creation's Passage.

Ruin and Creation's Passage was not a torture chamber like Vexen's lab, but it took every ounce of faith Alex had to walk through it. The main fear that struck her was fear of falling. The chamber contained various platforms that seemed to float in midair— and none of them had any visible walkway that Alex could tread. This was truly where the creation part came in. Although Alex knew very well that crystal-like hexagons would appear as she stepped out into the abyss, the first step was always the hardest. Alex growled at the Sorcerer Nobody that appeared a few feet from her, hovering out over the pit. The way it seemed to flaunt itself as it took in the "threat" of the little dog was maddening. The young pup took a large breath in through her nose and, with all the courage she could muster, stepped out into nothingness.

It was like not realizing that you had reached the bottom step of a stair case. Alex jolted as her foot came down on the clear floor sooner than she thought. A light "ring" sounded as Alex's foot made contact with the clear hexagons that supported her. Alex's next three footfalls were met with the same sound. As Alex walked up toward the first platform, her mind wandered and she started prancing and bouncing on the see-through tiles just to hear the different melodies of the rings. _Bounce, bounce, bounce. Play, play, pla—!_

Alex's heart stopped just as long as her back paw hit nothing but air. The two Frisbees that were in her jaws clattered to the floor as she struggled to shift her center of gravity back onto the tile. Breathing hard, she dug her claws into the makeshift floor and heaved her weight forward just enough to get her hind paw back on solid ground. Alex laid there for a moment, trying to steady her heartbeat. _Careful of paths, do not lose focus on paths. Loosing focus is not good._

Alex bent down to retrieve the two toys and resumed her trek up the chamber of see-through floors and floating platforms. This time she was more careful. She walked the rest of the way to the first platform, where another Sorcerer Nobody materialized in front of her. The one she met earlier had followed her at a distance, but now floated a few feet away from her.

" _The Superior is busy pup. Turn back."_ One of the Sorcerers spoke. It was not a physical sound, like music from a radio, but rather _inside_ Alex's mind. Said animal yelped, confused. The disks she was transporting fell out onto the ground. _Where did that voice come from?_ The fur on her shoulders stood on end.

" _Pup, it is us, the Sorcerers, you have spoken to us before."_ The high ranking Nobodies floated into the dog's vision. Alex flinched and growled, baring her teeth.

"Get out of my way chew toys! I am on the hunt for my pack sister." Alex barked. Red transparent cubes materialized around the Sorcerers as they boxed the puppy in on all sides.

" _The Superior has ordered us to guard the castle. You will not get through here. Turn back, or face imprisonment in IV's laboratory."_ The cubes tightened around Alex, one even so close as to nick her chin. The minute touch sent a minor shock through Alex's body, causing a ripple effect to occur down her spine as her fur raised and lowered. Alex whined, tucking her tail in between her legs. The darkness that overcame her in Axel's Existence lifted just as suddenly as it had come, as it had a habit of doing. Alex's human desires and thought processes returned, and she was intrigued to find herself in her current position. _Goddamned Sorcerers. What do you want?_ The thing about communicating with the high ranking Nobodies Alex hated was that it was telepathic. She often wondered if they could read her thoughts even when she wasn't "speaking" with them.

" _Shepherd pup, the Superior of the In Between has ordered us to guard this castle. We cannot let you pass."_

" _If you are ordered to protect this castle, then how is it that my friend's scent travels through here? She hates Xemnas, so she would not be on the Alter of Naught. No, the only other logical reason is that Lola passed through here to get to the only entrance to the Round Room. Now, I am heading there to see if she wants to play. If you think I am lying, you can escort me there yourselves. Would you please take those things away from me? I am merely a dog. A dog who has lived here for over two years now. If I haven't harmed Xemnas yet, what makes you think I will hurt him now? What makes you think I can hurt him? What makes you think that I want to hurt him?"_ Alex spoke. The Sorcerers pulled away, confused. There was logic to the pup's argument, but the master had clearly given his orders.

" _Alright, we will take you to Where Nothing Gathers. Follow us."_ The Nobodies started off to the next platform, forming the path as they went. Alex grabbed the disks and followed, eyeing the odd Sniper who appeared to be standing on a wall, in midair. _Those guys are so annoying. It's like they flaunt their "spacey" powers on purpose. You can never catch them._

With her Nobody escorts, Alex arrived at the top of Ruin and Creation's Passage with no more trouble. The procession made their way through the gigantic blue archway that led out of the chamber and came upon the large, circular staircase that led up to the Alter of Naught. What was easily missed was the pure white door that was the only entrance to the circular meeting room of the Organization minus dark corridors. This door let out to the bottom of the chamber at the base of thirteen massive white thrones. Already Alex could hear high pitched whines from the other side of the door.

Alex turned to look at her escorts. _"I can take it from here. I am just going to grab Lola and take her back down to Existence. We will see you both later. Okay?"_ The only response she got was the turning and floating of the non-existent beings as they waited back at the entrance to Ruin and Creation. Alex pushed her forehead against the white door. When she and her friends had just arrived at the castle, the door was stiff from disuse. Now it barely squeaked when opened.

Tall white marble thrones encompassed a circular platform marked with the Nobody insignia. The whining and scratching echoed around the room, louder now that Alex was in the same area as the sounds' maker. But from where Alex was standing, she couldn't see where her friend was. She thought about jumping up on the center platform, but realized that Lola, being smaller than her, would never be able to reach it. So that meant that Lola was around the platform. Alex took a chance and traveled counter-clockwise around the room. It didn't matter anyway, since the room was a circle. When she finally found Lola, Alex wasn't sure what to do. Her little Papillion friend was in front of one of the chairs and was trying to climb it. Alex decided to watch for a bit. It proved quite entertaining. Lola jumped up and latched her claws into the white stone, a determined look in her eyes. Then she tried to climb, but as soon as she lifted a paw, she started sliding down. Alex squinted and grinned around the Frisbees. Lola had tried to climb the thrones so many times that she had left claw marks in the once flawless marble. _This is fun to watch, but I'd rather play with these Frisbees than climb the impossible._ Alex set the disks down on the white floor and sat down.

"Ahem. Lola, you realize that even if this was Roxas' throne, you still wouldn't be able to reach the top, right?" At this, Lola froze to the throne, surprised by her friend's sudden appearance.

"Oh, Alex. Hi! I didn't see you there!" She looked over her shoulder at her friend, "Um, how long _have_ you been sitting there?"

"Long enough," Alex smiled gently, "So why _are_ you doing that?" She raised her paw and gestured at Lola and the throne.

Lola skidded all the way back down and approached the German Shepherd. "Don't judge Alex, but I was bored. Unlike you, I have a need to be active and not sit on my butt all day. So I decided to come here and try to sit up high like the organization does in meetings, but I miscalculated the height. But since you were chilling in the Gray Area with Saïx, and Skylar was well, somewhere, I figured that there was nothing else to do, so I just kinda got sucked up in the moment and then all of the sudden you popped up," Lola looked at her bigger friend, "Why are you here?"

"I am here because I got bored with Saïx. He was just standing there and doing nothing. He didn't even look at me," Alex's ears drooped. "So I stopped being a lazy ass and decided to do something for a change. And so I stopped by Axel's Existence and guess what I found?" Alex's tail started whipping back and forth.

"Just tell me," Lola sighed. She knew Alex could get carried away when she was excited.

"I found Lea's Frisbees!" Alex barked, but winced when her voice echoed around the huge chamber. "Ouch!"

"Yeah, try to keep it down Alex. There is only so much my ears can take," Lola put her paws on her ears. "You said that you found toys?"

"Yep! Now we won't be bored!"

Lola sighed. Sometimes her friend would forget to think things through. "Alex, we can't play fetch with just the two of us. Who would throw the Frisbees?"

"One of us. Duh! Wait. Oh shit," Alex drew out the curse. "I forgot, we don't have hands." The shepherd smacked her paw against her forehead.

"Uh-huh," Lola gave her buddy a knowing look.

"Well, there are humans in the castle."

Lola looked aghast, "I am NOT going to play with Xemnas or Saïx. They intimidate me."

"I wasn't planning on going after Xemnas. I'm not nuts!" Alex gave Lola the were-you-born-stupid look. "Besides, The Sorcerers would kill us if they found us. And what about Saïx, he likes dogs. Well, he used to. And that's what we are now. So if you want to have fun Lola, you are going to have to suck it up and learn to cope. Have an open mind. Get to know the members. Try to understand them. And please don't give me that look." Alex turned from Lola's are-you-kidding-me expression. "I try to understand them. All I need is Vexen and Xigbar. Okay, Xaldin and Lexaeus too. And Luxord, but that guy's poker face is incredible. Hey, I'm trying. But it's hard. Anyway, do you want to do something other than climbing the impossible?"

"God I hate you sometimes," Lola resignedly followed Alex out of the Round Room. Grinning, she jumped up on the bigger dog's back and settled on her shoulders. Alex rolled her eyes but could not say anything around the disks in her mouth.

As the canine duo made their way back down the castle, they passed the two Sorcerers that had escorted Alex earlier. The dogs nodded in their general direction and proceeded across the transparent paths back to the main part of the castle.

Saïx had not moved from his position against the windows. His thoughts were focused on an event in his childhood, when he and Lea had encountered a boy on their way to the castle. The boy had dropped his toy sword, and Isa, in a hurry, just stepped over it. Saïx smiled slightly as he remembered that day.

"This yours?" Lea asked, waving the wooden key-like sword towards the boy.

"Lea, we don't have time for this," Isa stated, earning a sarcastic reply.

"Lighten up Isa, it'll only take a sec," Lea then addressed the blonde boy, "You still play with toy swords? That's cute." Lea then leaped back and whipped out his Frisbees, "Now this right here, Ta-Da! What d'ya think?"

The blonde took a side long glance at the disks, "Not a whole lot."

Lea wasn't fazed, "You're just jealous. I'm Lea. Got it memorized? What's your name?"

"Ventus," came the melancholy reply.

"Okay, Ventus, let's fight!" said Lea, getting into a battle stance.

Rhythmic scratching pulled Saïx out of his reverie. Opening his eyes, he saw the German Shepherd pup, Alex, and her Papillion friend, Lola, sitting upon her back like a princess. He made to ignore them, but the items in Alex's mouth caught his attention. The same Frisbees that Lea had used against Ventus. The memory that had been interrupted began playing again.

Isa looked on while Lea and Ventus fought, a small smile spread across his face. Five minutes later, Lea was on his rear, and Ventus stood victorious.

"You had enough? 'Cause I'm willin' to call it a draw if you are," Lea panted.

Ventus looked confused for a moment, before getting the joke, "Haha, right."

"From where I stood the only thing you drew was a big 'L' on your forehead for 'Loser', 'Lame', 'Laughable'." said Isa, walking up to the two.

Lea looked at him incredulously, "Wha?! Isn't this the part where you cheer me up or somethin'? 'You're just having a bad day' or, 'That's what you get for pullin' your punches.' Yesh, some friend."

"Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie," Isa replied, looking down at Lea with a raised eyebrow.

Lea looked up at Ventus, "Y'see what I gotta put up with? Hope you don't have friends like him."

"Huh? Haha," Ventus said, laughing along with the other two at Lea's jibe.

Isa was the first to stop, "Lea, we have to go."

"K," Lea answered, getting up and dusting himself off.

"Already?" Ventus asked.

Lea looked over at him, "I'll see ya when I see ya. After all, we're friends now. Get it memorized."

Ventus smiled, "OK, Lea."

Lea walked over to the other end of the town square to where Isa was standing.

"What is it with you and picking up stray puppies?" Isa asked, watching as Ventus walked towards the Entryway toward the Outer Gardens.

The clatter of plastic brought Saïx back to the present. When he looked down, he saw the two pups with Lea's Frisbees at their feet. Their heads were cocked to the side; their eyes wide open in a pitiful look, and their tails wagging slightly. Although Saïx had to admit that it was a cute site, he wasn't moved enough to play with them. He simply stood there, hoping that they would leave him in peace. As if thinking that Saïx wasn't getting the hint, Alex looked down at the Frisbees and nudged them towards his feet, then looked up at him again, as if she could crack his outer shell with her puppy dog eyes. Saïx looked at the duo, wondering what they were up to.

 _Oh, come on Saïx, play with us…please? I know that you love dogs, or used to. Let's see if you can still play._ Alex thought, all the while giving the cutest puppy dog eyes she could. Lola's thoughts were running along the same track. _Saïx, in all honesty, spending all of your time standing here is a pitiful way to spend your existence._

Saïx, realizing that he wasn't going to see the end of it, heaved a sigh and bent down to pick up his best friends old weapons. As soon as he did, Alex and Lola gave a bark and started to run to the other end of the room. Lola ran in small circles, as if chasing her tail, while Alex stuck her bottom up in the air, giving Saïx a playful bow. Saïx gave the faintest of smiles before throwing one of the Frisbees to the left, and the other to the right. He had to admit that he wasn't sure how to throw them, but the pups didn't seem to mind.

They dashed after them like kids to the playground. Alex took the one on the left. She jumped up on the couch as if it was a springboard, and launched herself up in the air, catching the disk in her mouth. She landed gracefully and started her way back to Saïx, giving him the Frisbee. Lola, being on the small side, wasn't able to catch hers. She ran over to where it was laying on the ground behind the couch, picked it up, and walked carefully towards Saïx, who was getting ready to throw Alex's again.

Saïx and Alex looked over at the Pappy, and Alex gave a short bark at her. Saïx couldn't help but get the idea that she was laughing. He raised one eyebrow, and took in the sight of Lola trying to carry a Frisbee that was bigger than she was.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Saïx asked.

In response, Alex nudged her toy toward his boot, giving him a playful bark. This time Saïx faked tossing to the left, and instead threw it to the right. Falling for his trick, Alex raced off towards the left, only to stop when she noticed that her toy wasn't there. She looked around, confused for a moment.

 _Darn it, where did it go? I know he threw it around here somewh-_ The sound of plastic hitting the floor drew her attention to the other side of the room, where her Frisbee had landed. _Darn it! I fell for the oldest trick in the book!_ Alex turned around and bolted towards the other end of the room.

As she passed the hall, the smell of chilies and smoke alerted her to the presence of No. VIII hiding in the shadows of the hall. She ignored him and continued to the Frisbee. She picked it up and headed back toward Saïx, who was preoccupied as Lola tried to snatch the disk in his hand. Alex trotted up the Diviner, Frisbee in mouth.

 _Okay time to see the real you,_ Isa _,_ Alex thought as she offered his Nobody the Frisbee. As he grabbed the disc, she maintained her grip, and gave a bow as she invited him to a game of tug-of-war. Lola, not wanting to be left out, also got in on the action and tried to add her weight to the flying disk.

Alex's thoughts turned naughty as Saïx crouched down to her level. _Talk about gettin' low Saïx._

With a mental shake of her head, Alex gave another growl as Saïx tried to pull the disc away from her. Lola, spotting the other disk on the ground near Saïx's feet, left the tug-of-war and began entertaining herself with the unoccupied disk.

Axel watched his best friend as he played with the puppies. A sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he remembered a time when Isa would play with his Husky. Ironically, she had the same name as the dog he was playing with now. He knew that Alex had to have smelled him, and he was glad that she didn't give his position away. His smile turned into a smirk when Saïx crouched down to play tug-of-war. He chuckled to himself as he saw Lola start pushing the other disk around on the floor and chase it around the Grey Area. Slowly, so as to not alert No. VII of his presence, he snuck up to the smaller dog, a plan forming in his mind.

Alex decided to go one more step. She was tiring quickly, her pulls and growls becoming half-hearted. So when Saïx pulled on the disc, Alex let go, causing Saïx to fall back on the floor. A smile graced the Luna Diviner's face. And then he laughed. Alex barked and cuddled into his lap while Lola looked as if she had witnessed the impossible. Intimidated, she backed up behind the nearest couch, bumping into the skinny figure of the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

Alex shifted in Saïx's lap, offering her belly to be scratched. The Luna Diviner consented, and when he scratched her near her front leg, Alex started to kick her back one, greatly resembling a rabbit. Saïx looked around for Lola, only to find her back with the Frisbees. He shook his head as she picked one up and ran behind the couch with it.

All of the sudden, Lola's disk came flying out from behind the couch, hitting the windows with enough force that it bounced off and went towards the other side of the grey area. Following it was a little blur of caramel and white as Lola scurried after it, yapping all the way.

Alex launched herself out of Saïx's lap. There was no way a dog could fling that Frisbee that far with such force. She raised her hackles and growled at the couch, from which a familiar laugh resounded.

 _Oh, it was only Axel. How could I not realize that?_ Alex calmed and sat down by Saïx's side.

"Well, well, well. Now who's picking up stray puppies?" Axel asked, rising up from behind the couch.

Saïx turned red from his hairline to his neck. He looked up at his friend, his red face the only evidence of embarrassment. His empty face saddened Alex.

 _Saïx, why are you so stern all the time? What happened to the boy who would constantly tease his friends as they hung out by Uncle Scrooge's ice cream shop?_

Saïx's golden eyes met Axel's emerald ones which were practically glittering with amusement. However, no words were exchanged between them; they simply let time inch on, a silent conversation spoken between them as Axel realized that he now had the perfect blackmail on the Diviner. Alex couldn't help but notice the way they seemed to glow. From the glow came two figures, one with a yellow scarf and the other with a blue jacket emblazoned with a yellow crescent moon.

 _How easy things used to be,_ she thought, watching the blue haired boy hold one of Lea's Frisbees high above his head, not allowing the red head to get it. _Isa, what happened?_

The scene shattered as Lola came back to the Flurry with the disk in her mouth. She jumped up and all but launched herself at the pyro, settling in his arms.

"Well, you always did like dogs," Axel stated, smirking at Saïx's expense. Alex barked in agreement, wagging her tail as she sat at Saïx's side. Noticing his hand a mere inch from her nose, Alex reached up and nuzzled against it, begging to be scratched. "And it seems that they like you."

"Humph, you're one to talk," Saïx retorted, eyeing the Papillion as she reached up to lick Axel's face. He relented to Alex's request, scratching behind her ear. "Have you completed your mission?" he asked, wanting to change the subject immediately.

"Sure did, man that was tough. Doing recon in a world with lions that can smell you from a mile away? I don't think so. This one female, Nala I think her name was, thought that I was there to take on their king, Scar. That was the only way I could get all the information I did," Axel reported, turning his head away from Lola's onslaught.

"Lions?" Saïx asked, raising both of his eyebrows, "How did you—"

"Survive? Easy. _I_ was a lion," Axel answered, looking over at Saïx's skeptical expression, "There must be something that changes our physical appearance. It was quite an experience seeing myself as a feline," Axel finished, putting Lola down on the floor. She looked up at him, as if questioning whether or not she wanted to leave, before a bark from Alex called her back to her friend.

Alex, although loving the scratching and attention that she was receiving from number VII, knew that she had to share this experience with the other K-9 in the castle. Calling Lola away from the red-head, Alex proceeded to exit the Grey Area with Lola on her heels. The two Nobodies watched them leave before talking more about new world Axel had been sent to.

"Alex, where are we going?" Lola asked her friend as they ran down the hallway towards the Hall of Empty Melodies. Alex only replied with a 'You'll see' and pulled ahead as they reached the Hall. Taking a left, Alex ran towards Existence, and her friend. Lola skid around the corner, the marble floor not providing traction for her claws. Alex stopped by the entrance to Existence to catch her breath; Lola came up behind her and collapsed, panting heavily.

"Y'know, I was hoping, that, being a dog would, get us in shape," Lola panted as she laid spread eagle on the floor.

"I'll admit, I was hoping the same thing," Alex replied, straightening up, "but I know I've lost a little weight because I can walk up Naught's Skyway without passing out now."

"Well now, you didn't weigh that much," Lola said, but when she saw the look Alex gave her, she knew she was in for it.

"Lola," Alex began, "I have never weighed less than you. At some point, I got down to about two-hundred-and-eighty pounds, but I have gotten everything back since then. Before we came here, I weighed almost three-hundred-and-twenty-five pounds. Can you say that you weighed more?"

"Well, no, I can't," Lola replied, "You know what? Let's drop the subject, it's such a downer."

Before Alex could reply, Axel came around the corner, twirling his old Frisbees in his hands. When he saw the two puppies standing there he started to approach them.

"Lola, I'll give you some alone time if you want it," Alex told the Pappy, laughing.

"Alex!" Lola scolded, "Now is not the time."

Axel observed the two dogs as they barked at each other. Seeing as how they didn't notice when he stepped closer, he took the opportunity to sneak up on them. Aiming to stop the barking before it annoyed the others, Axel took one of his Frisbees and waved it infront of the German Sheppard's face. The affect was instantaneous. The two stopped barking and focused on the disk.

"So, you think Saïx can throw these?" Axel asked the dogs, crouching down to look them in the eyes, "I'm insulted. But I guess I can't blame you two for playing with him when I wasn't here. What I really want to know," Axel picked up Lola and grabbed Alex by the collar, preventing either of them from escaping, "Is which one of you took these out of my closet?"

His answer was clear when Lola looked over at Alex, who looked just a bit too innocent for Axel's liking.

"I should have known," Axel said, "of, course, I would punish you, but since you two gave me a sight I haven't seen in ages I'll let it slide. Just this once though, you hear?" Axel said as he walked into Existence. Before he disappeared into his room the canine duo heard him mutter something about telling Roxas and Xion that he talked to dogs.

Getting back on track after their little delay, Alex and Lola proceeded to enter the room of blue portals, sniffing around for their friend's scent.

"Where is she Alex?" Lola asked, sniffing up by the top of the room.

"Lola, I can tell you that she's not going to be up in those areas. I don't think Skylar likes Xigbar and Xaldin that much," Alex said pointedly, snorting as the mere thought of Skylar being with anyone of higher rank than six, "Think Demyx or Zexion." As Lola went to the portal with a book, Alex went to investigate Demyx's panel. AS she got closer she could faintly hear the sound of Denyx's sitar, and could hear slapping noises, as if someone was smacking the surface of the water and splashing someone. Calling out to Lola, Alex paused before entering Number Nine's domain.

Routine ivory walls plated with metal pipes encased this musician's paradise. Marble flooring decorated the Nobody's pool shape in the sigil of his kind. Sitting at the side of the pool, with his bare legs hanging loose in the water, sat the Organization's resident water elementalist. Demyx sat there strumming Arpeggio, giving life to the area and the water with it. Alex watched, mesmerized, as the water in the pool seemed to dance to its master's rhythm, creating shape and little scenes before falling back into the pool. Lola came in and sat down on Alex's right side: the lost puppy following its mother. Both dogs' mouths watered as the water in the pool rose to create a bone, and then a tennis ball. The bone fell back into the pool, but the tennis ball broke free of the surface, and started to bounce. The Two canines watched it bounce, their heads moving up and down with its motion. Then a tennis racket materialized from the water and hit the water tennis ball across the room, where it bounced into the walls but stayed in an orb. As soon as the ball was hit, Alex and Lola went after it. However, the water on the floor hindered their movements, causing Alex to go wide around a pool lounger and fall sideways into the pool. Lola, not wanting to go the way of the Sheppard, dug her claws into the floor and sat on her Haunches, stopping mere inches from the poolside. However, her attempt was in vain when a yellow blur flew around the edge of the pool and brushed past Lola, causing her to loose her balance and fall into the pool anyway. Alex popped up and gasped for breath as she dog-paddled for the side of the pool. Seeing Lola pop up a few feet away, Alex swam over and grabbed her by the collar, dragging her to the shallow end of the pool. Upon reaching the shallow side, Alex and Lola looked over at the offending body that was currently playing with the tennis ball.

"Well, I was hoping I'd find you here Skylar," Alex said as she shook herself off. Lola shot her buddy as offended look, being the recipient of the Sheppard's water spray.

Lola was far from pleased, "I look like a drowned rat! My fur beautiful fur takes hours to get combed like this. Why did you have to push me into the water?" Lola growled.

Before Skylar could reply, Demyx came over and picked the accused puppy up, taking her over to one of the lounge chairs that circled the pool. Lola walked after them, dripping wet and wary of stepping on her own fur. Alex resisted the urge to laugh; the sight before her was too funny to behold. Skylar was resting on Demy's lap much in the same way Alex had done in Saïx's lap a few minutes earlier. The sight of her best friend cuddling up with one of her favorite members was too cute, but it might have been because Demyx was in wavy blue swim trunks that did it. Alex burst out laughing, rolling over onto her back as she barker out uncontrollably. Lola, taking this lapse of concentration into her own hands, strode right on over to Alex and shook her fur out all in Alex's face. Alex stopped and stared at her littler friend, mentally noting the pause of Sky and Number Nine. However, instead of the reaction Lola was hoping for, in which Alex got the hint and shut up, she got laughter from both of her friends.

Demyx chuckled at Lola's bewildered behavior, obviously not knowing what she had just done. Leaving her to figure it out, he set the wriggling ball of fur that was Sky down on the lounger , and then got up and took his towel to the changing room. Once there, he started the shower and closed the door, the others might not believe him, but he'd be damned if these dogs were really dogs. Sometimes he saw them reading in the library, or "conversing" during meetings almost as if they knew what was being said.

"Almost as if their human," he said aloud to himself. He did admit he had a soft spot for the Skylar, the Golden Retriever puppy. She had an affinity for water and was very fun-loving and energetic. She also loved music, and would sometimes howl along with the notes.

Hearing a mournful howl out by the pool, Demyx could only guess that Lola had finally noticed her mishap. Lola was an interesting one. He liked her well enough, and she seemed to like him as well, but her true passion was Axel. She was always around him, he noted. Though she was a bit moody. She was all cute and cuddly one moment and the next she didn't want anything to do with anyone. But the one he took caution of was Alex. Although an anagram of Axel, he knew that it was Saïx that had really named her.

"A fitting pair," Demyx snorted comparing the two mentally. And really it wasn't that hard. Both were calm and collected one second, then berserk the next. Demyx had seen it one time when Saïx and Axel had gotten into an argument. The minute Axel raised his voice, Alex seemed to snap. Jumping up, she crouched down and snarled at Axel, standing at Saïx's side. Saïx stared down at her, as did Axel. She had never exhibited this behavior to either of the members. Like a guard dog, she stood there waiting for her master's command. Then all of the sudden stopped, looked around, and was the normal Alex again. She even licked Axel's face, as if to apologize. If any of the other dogs showed that behavior, Demyx never saw it, Other than that, she demonstrated the same loyalty that Saïx possessed, and dedication to the Organization. She had helped him on many recon missions Saïx had had him carry out. She wore an extra pack, allowing him to get more items and bring extra magic into the field. He would often sneak treats into the sides so that she wouldn't go insane around him.

Chuckling to himself, he shut the water off and walked out of the shower. He had a mission with Roxas that day and he was not in the mood to get yelled at by 'X-face'.

"Ohhhh, I am not cut out for this," Demyx whined, pulling on a black fitted tank top and pants. Picking up his cloak, he pulled it over his head and adjusted the zippers to his liking. He hoped Sky would get sent along with them so he had room for extra supplies. Those dogs were life savers when it cane to bringing healing potions into the field. Opening the door to the pool, he passed the three K-9's as he made his way to report to Saïx in the Grey Area.

Meanwhile, Lola had gone to the pool to see her reflection, something she had gathered from the pieces she could hear from Sky and Alex. Gazing into the clear water, Lola realized why they had laughed. Her eyes widened as she say her once wet, smooth, hair hanging down in chunks and strings. Certain short hairs were standing up in all directions, giving her some resemblance of a dandelion that kids like to blow on. All in all, Lola was shocked. She was horrified.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAIR?!" Lola howled, rounding on a still laughing Skylar, "This is all your fault! If you hadn't pushed me into that pool, I would still be dry!"

Skylar stopped laughing, "If you hadn't gotten in my way, I wouldn't have pushed you!" Skylar paused, "Why did you come here anyway? I thought that you guys were waiting for Axel to return."

Before Lola could revisit the argument, Alex stepped in to answer Sky's question.

"ENOUGH! Both of you," she growled, the fur on her shoulders raising a little, "Sky, for your information, we were coming to tell you a funny story. Let's not get up in arms over a pool incident," she finished, giving Lola a pointed look.

The sound of water running caused the attention of the three dogs to de-rail, much like when a dog chooses to chase a squirrel over treats from its owner. Alex could see by the way Sky's eyes were glazing over that that the last thing on her mind was a funny story. Lola, watching the steam come out from around the changing room door, started to pant as the mental image of Demyx naked overtook her senses.

"Lola, Axel's here," Alex said, watching Lola zap out of her daze and look around for her favorite member.

"You'd like to see him naked wouldn't you?" Alex asked, giving a pervy wink, "He's not really here Lola, sorry."

"Don't act like you're not picturing it," Lola retorted, "you still have the hots for him."

"That's true," Alex replied, "but that was until I played Birth by Sleep and realized that I had a lot more in common with Isa than Lea. And when I really thought about it, Saïx and I are almost identical.

"So you're saying," Lola thought out, "That you used to like Axel but then dumped him for his best friend. Are you sure you're not a Heartless?" Yes, I am sure. Sky—," and here Alex paused to look at her Golden friend, "cut it out there will be plenty of time for that later. Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Well, that depends on whether or not it's good enough," Sky said.

"Well then, take this…,"

Ands so Alex and Lola told Sky what had transpired in the Grey Area earlier that day. By the end of it, Sky was in stitches, lying on her side as she panted for breath. None of them say Demyx emerge from the shower and make his way to the Grey Area.

"So, Sky, was it worth it?" Alex asked.

"Do you think I'd be laughing like this if it wasn't? Man, I wish I could have seen Saïx's face!" Sky yapped, still on the floor panting.

"Well, then, you should have been –" Lola was cut off as Demyx scurried back into the room, a pack held in his hand.

"Oh, why are they making me fight? I told them I'm not cut out for combat!" he whined as he put the pack on Sky. After buckling all of the straps, he slipped some potions and ethers into the side pouches. After a moment of consideration, Demyx put some extra casts of magic in as well. As a final precaution, Demyx put a weapon gear into the slot in Skylar's collar, and the three watched as the spikes grew larger and glowed with a blue aura.

"Come on, Sky, time to get to work," Demyx said as he walked towards the exit. Sky immediately followed him, not at all fazed by her heavy pack. Without even a farewell, Sky and Demyx left the two other dogs behind in Demyx's room.

"Well, she could at least have said goodbye," Lola said, miffed at Skylar's lack of parting words.

"Like you don't do the same every now and then?" Alex asked, "C'mon, you love it when you get to help Axel out. Remember that time when Axel was sent to Atlantica? You couldn't wait to go. And you never said goodbye either."

"Well, you never say 'Have fun' so I figured that we would. . . Oh, fine. So I was excited! That's more than I can say for you. You're like a Nobody yourself!" Lola huffed, "Always sitting by Saïx's side when he gives out missions, sitting behind him during meetings, I can hardly tell you two apart! Why can't you just live a little?" Lola barked out, gnashing her teeth together.

"Live?" Alex advanced on the Pappy, her head held high with a malicious sheen to her eyes, "Lola, Nobodies are told that they don't have hearts, that they cannot feel. We know that this is a lie for Xemnas's schemes, but they don't and that's the point. They don't try to care when they think they can't," Alex got right in Lola's face, staring her straight in the eye, "Do you think that Axel loves you? Do you think for a second that he would save you if it meant dying himself? NO! He'd escape through a corridor of Darkness as you lay bleeding on the ground, waiting for Death," Alex walked to the poolside, seemingly drained of energy, her voice now soft, quivering, like she was trying not to cry. "Do you know what will happen after Roxas leaves? He will return to Sora, and then Sora will wake up and destroy what is left of Organization XIII, destroy this. Our _home_. You can argue that the people will come back, and that they will be better off, and you can argue that some of them deserve it, but you cannot deny the fact that it will hurt."

Lola could almost hear the tears land in the pool, and she got up and walked to sit beside the crying puppy. She knew that this was a rare occurrence; Alex never cried in front of others, even her friends. Still, Lola thought that she might know what had set Alex over the edge. She just didn't think that it would take this long to surface.

"Is this about Zexion?" She asked, almost afraid of what the shepherd would do.

Alex couldn't hold back anymore. Crying outright now, she got up and ran towards the glowing blue exit of Demyx's room. Lola, who was not expecting such a violent emotional expression from her friend, followed to make sure the bigger puppy didn't get hurt.

When she reached Proof of Existence, Lola was just able to catch a glimpse of Alex's tail as she disappeared into the farthest portal, one tier above Demyx's. Running over to it, Lola only stopped when she saw whose panel it was. The picture of a long, spiked object was enough to make her second-guess going into the room. Saïx had a coolness about him, and Lola was scared of that. She was afraid that he would snap and go berserk on her. It was only the knowledge that a howling Alex would probably set the Diviner off that made Lola enter the portal. Howling was definitely heard, but the circular hallway prevented Lola from pinpointing the location of her friend. Trotting quickly through the walkway, Lola found Alex in the corner of Addled Impasse, lying on her side which was heaving as she struggled to control herself. Lola quietly approached Alex, trying to keep her toenails from making too much noise.

Reaching Alex's form, she sat down and placed her paw on her shoulder, the only way she knew how to comfort Alex. For a second, Lola saw Alex as a human again, crying and curled up in the fetal position. Lola herself had her hand on Alex's shoulder. They were both thinner than when they had last seen each other, but the clothes they were wearing were the same.

"I thought it wouldn't hurt like this," Alex spoke, shattering the scene.

Lola looked down at the once again German Shepherd, a small pout in her eyes.

Alex continued to sob, "I thought I had gotten over these feelings. They never bothered me before."

"Alex, what—" Lola started to say, but Alex kept talking as if Lola was not there.

"I tried to stop the Riku Replica, I tried to reason with him. I tried to stop Axel too. But I couldn't. So I hoped I could get Zexion out of there before they got to him, but I couldn't make him understand. I could only hide in the corner and watch as the Replica drained Zexion of his power," Alex's sobs seemed to double in intensity, causing her whole body to shake.

"Alex, you know it's natural to cry," Lola said, hoping that Alex would understand.

"Lola, you don't get it. Back home, I couldn't feel much anymore. The Nobodies were my link, they were like me. I always had conversations with them, as if they were real. I never had that connection with any real people. Except for you and Sky."

"When I came here, I thought it would be the same. That I wouldn't feel anything because I couldn't. But my mind now sees them as real people, ones I'm attached to. I'm not used to this, Lola," Alex finished, momentarily calming down.

Lola was unable to make a response. She knew that Alex had trouble trusting people when they were human, but she didn't know that it would cause her to make such strong connections with fake people. Fake people who were now real.

"Alex, what about the others who were sent to C.O.? Do you feel the same way?"

"No," Alex sniffed, "no, I don't. Vexen was obsessed with science and a creep, I never really knew Lexaeus, and Larxene and Marluxia had it coming to them, for better or worse. But Zexion—" Alex choked and started sobbing again.

Lola pulled her paw back and lay down by Alex's side, waiting to hear the rest of Alex's troubles.

"Lola, Zexion was just a kid when his heart was taken. He couldn't have been older than eight. And he already lost his parents. Why, I don't know. It's just that, a child so young doesn't deserve to have all that happen to him, y'know? Alex finished, back to sniffing again.

Lola was about to comfort Alex with the little knowledge that she had when echoing footsteps caused her to look up at the figure of Saïx. Deciding that it was better to act pitiful rather than aggressive, Lola swallowed her fear and looked up at the second-in-command with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster, hoping that Saïx would get the hint and help her friend out, and not get irritated from the noise. She was surprised that her wide, pleading eyes were not needed. When she looked into Saïx's eyes, she was surprised to see something resembling shock and worry in them, softening them from topaz to honey.

The next few minutes were a blur and yet everything was mentally recorded by the papillon. From what she was told of Saïx by Alex a year before, he was one who never let his emotions show, except when angry. This was what Alex had connected with. So why was the same man showing such behavior now? He was practically coddling her, looking her over for signs of physical injury, and then cradling her to his empty chest. And Alex let him do it! She knew that he was the one who wanted Zexion dead in the first place! He was the reason that Alex felt so much pain! _I guess some bonds are stronger than others._

Alex did not hear the approaching member until she heard his quiet voice trying to soothe her. Looking up at him, she was shocked to find that his eyes held not only sadness, but fear as well. _Saïx, what is wrong?_ She was too tired to resist when Saïx gathered her up in his arms and held her against his chest. _No heartbeat._ Alex leaned her head against Saïx's shoulder, sleep claiming her quickly now that her energy was spent. With her mind in the darkness of sleep, Alex never felt the lips of the Luna Diviner on her head.

Lola could not believe what she just witnessed. Saïx had _kissed_ her friend! Sure it was on the head and she was a dog, but what in the world? She could only stand there bug eyed.

Saïx glanced down at the now sleeping puppy, seemingly at peace for the time being. He had been walking toward his room after briefing Demyx on his mission when he heard it. Howling, hoarse, painful and filled with grief reached his ears. Taking a detour by foot lest he loose the sound, Saïx soon came to the room of blue portals. Although it was echoing throughout the room, he soon pin-pointed the sound as coming from his own Existence. His chest tightened a little, the memory from the sound causing slight discomfort for him. Entering Addled Impasse, he winced as the sound increased ten-fold. Increasing his pace, he rounded the corner and saw the two canines Alex and Lola. Lola seemed to be trying to comfort Alex, who was the one howling. He wasn't worried about how the two got in his room or the fact that they were in his personal space. What worried Saïx was the noise Alex was making. The howling sounded like a wounded animal, and not something natural. Seeing her writhe on the floor like that made the empty place in his chest constrict a little, reminding him of the time when his own dog had been badly injured when he was younger. The memory was faint, like all of the memories he had of her, but the emotions attached to them were still there.

"Alex!" an eight-year-old Isa stood on the porch of his house, calling for his dog. It was normal for the husky to stay out at night, but she was always there for breakfast in the morning. After checking the basement, laundry room, and the guest bedroom, Isa had gone to the backyard where her doghouse was. She was not in any of these places. Confused and saddened, the little boy went around the town, asking anyone if they had seen his dog. Lea even offered to help, and the two went over every inch of the Outer Gardens before heading back. There Isa was, waiting for his dog to come back home. Only after his mother forced him to go to bed did Isa go inside. Tossing and turning, he was unable to sleep over worrying for his dog. _Is she hurt? Did she run away? Does she hate me?_ All of these thoughts raced through Isa's head, robbing him of rest. Around one-o'clock in the morning, Isa heard his parents passing his bedroom door. Kicking off his covers, he got out of bed and tip-toed to the door, opening it a crack. Downstairs he heard whispers between his parents. Opening the door slowly so it didn't creak, Isa stepped softly down the stairs, trying to listen in on what his parents were saying.

"Honey, Alex is part of the family. She's never been away this long before. I'm worried that she's hurt and can't make it back," Isa's mother said, lacing up her shoes, "I'm going to look for her again."

"I know you want to help dear, but that's no reason to get up in the middle of the night. She probably just needs some time alone," her husband replied, still in his pajamas.

"I know. But if I can get her back before Isa wakes up, then he'll have a surprise to wake up to-" All three people looked up when they caught the sound of shallow panting, followed quickly by little whines.

Isa's mother quickly stood up and headed for the door, but was beaten there by her son, who flew down the stairs and pulled the door open. Looking down, he saw his best friend standing with her legs spread apart, as though she would fall over. Her head hung low, and her tail was limp between her legs. Isa also noted a slight bulge on her left side, and when he tried to touch it, Alex growled. He pulled his hand away, not used to being growled at by her. "Oh my God!" his mother's voice came from behind him, "Honey, get the vet on the phone."

As his father went to get the phone, Isa and his mother focused on making Alex comfortable. Coating a painkiller in peanut butter, Isa offered the 'treat' to his dog. She reluctantly raised her head, as if even the slightest movement of her head was painful. Sniffing the treat, she hesitantly lapped it up, and then put her head back down. Isa then noticed that he was shivering. _That's funny. It's not cold out._

"Okay, thank you Doc," Isa's father hung up the phone and turned to his family, "The vet's on her way now. She sounded concerned about the bulge, but she'll do everything she can."

"Mom, why is she shivering? It's not cold out," Isa pointed out, causing both his parents to worry.

"She must have broken a rib," came a female voice, "the bone probably caused some blood vessels to rupture, causing internal bleeding. Here," the vet took a sedative from her bag and injected it into Alex's neck, "that will help her relax, and it will dull the pain. We don't have much time; I need to get her to the clinic now before she looses any more blood."

Isa stood in shock as his dad carried Alex to the car. Most of the conversation he understood, and was scared that Alex was going to die. He had been with her since he could remember, and the two of them would always play together. Now there was a good chance that he might never see her again.

Isa's parents ushered him off to bed, his mother consoling him saying that she would go to the vet's right away, but Isa needed to go to school tomorrow. Isa, after being told that there was nothing else for him to do by his father, went back to bed with a heavy heart. His dreams were plagued by images of his husky surrounded by a pool of her own blood, her ribs protruding from her sides.


End file.
